The Art of the Blues: Nationally Renowned Photographer David Fox will Showcase his Best Shots at New Blues Restaurant

For most of his life photographer David Fox has lived with “the blues“ -- not with feelings of despair or depression but rather “THE“ blues -- theAmerican musical expression that has anchored rock-and-roll music for thepast 50 years. Fox has been a record producer, musician, photographer and adriving force in the development of the Mississippi Valley Blues Festival,one of the top blues festivals in America. A Traverse City Central High School graduate, Fox played in several area late‘60s and early ‘70s blues/rock bands, including Wheelin Bliss, whichevolved into the original Newt & The Salamanders, which evolved intoThe Fabulous Horndogs. During the mid-‘90s he was a driving force inthe development of the Northern Michigan Blues Society, which helped tocoordinate several blues shows at the now defunct Kodiak Nightclub as wellas at the Traverse Bay Casinos. For fans of the blues, this musical style has been hit or miss inthe area. The casino has cancelled their blues festival and now offers only afew blues shows a year. The Dennos Museum Center/Milliken Auditorium can becounted on for four to five excellent blues concerts a year, while Union StreetStation, The Loading Dock and GT‘s all offer the occasional blues act andsome phenomenal ones at that. But the bottom line for Fox and the thousandsof other area blues fans is that there just is not enough consistent blues musicbeing played in the area. That is all about to change!

DINING WITH THE BLUES Enter Bubba‘s Fish Haus & Blues Company, located in the former TC Tradersbuilding in the Cherryland Complex at the corner of Garfield and SouthAirport, which plans to open the first week of January. The visionof the Flint-based Blue Collar Gourmet Restaurant Group and Traverse City-based restaurant consultant Matt Videki, Bubba‘s plans to offer the bluesand a lot of it. “We plan to have the best in blues bands from Detroit, Chicago and St. Louiseach weekend and during the summer months we will offer live entertainmentevery night of the week,“ said Videki, Bubba‘s general manager. “We haveopened and brightened the place up and we will have room for 200 plus forour live shows.“ Videki saw the need for consistent blues music offerings in the area. “First of all, we will be a lot easier to find then the Kodiak, and I thinkthis community has been asking for this type of thing for sometime, so I seeus answering the call,“ he said. “I think when you combine the musicwith our fresh seafood concept and the décor of the place this will be a hotspot in the community.“

ART OF THE BLUES Décor? Enter photographer David Fox. “Yeah, we are going to have an ‘Art Bubba Deco‘ look,“ said Videki. “When westarted to develop this project we had a few people suggest that we get withDavid Fox. I did some checking and found that Fox had a national reputationfor his photography of blues bands and musicians. We looked at his work andwere sold on incorporating into our theme.“ At first, several photos will be laminated into the walls at Bubba‘s; eventually the restaurant will incorporate framed works from Fox. Fox has built areputation among blues musicians for his photographic work, which hasappeared in several publications, on album covers, and in the homes of someof the blues greats. The legendary John Lee Hooker enjoyed the photos Foxtook and one of Hooker‘s favorites of himself was taken by Fox and hung inHooker‘s living room. “I think it is great that Bubba‘s is going to embrace the work of localartists, besides myself they will have shots taken by Dr. Mark Zimmer,“ saidFox. “They will also incorporate a good mix of regional blues bands withnational acts.“ Fox and others in the area look optimistically at Bubba‘s as a place thatwill feed their blues music souls. “This company has a track record in Flint and I think they are going aboutit the right way,“ said Fox. “They are committed to quality service andhaving everything right before they open.“

ENTERTAINMENT FORCE Fox also believes that Bubba‘s will be a positive force in the entertainmentarea of the community. “I don‘t think this will have a negative impact on the other venues in thearea; rather I see it strengthening the area blues scene,“ said Fox. “We havedeveloped a reputation in the national blues community for having qualityfans, and when you mix that with the beauty of the area, this becomes a realappeal for national touring acts. This community has proven in the past thatit supports quality entertainment so I see this venture being quitesuccessful and the location is perfect.“ A driving force in promoting the blues in the area has been WNMC 90.7 FM;the station has a large following of blues listeners and Fox sees this asanother appeal to the blues acts who visit the area. “WNMC has been very influential in keeping blues music alive in ourcommunity. The station profile bands and play the bands music before theyarrive in town and this helps get people to the shows.“ For Northern Michigan fans of “The Blues,“ next year looks very promising, andfortunately that is just a few weeks away. Videki is planning a kickoffweekend in early January with a major blues headliner; stay tuned to TheExpress for details. To learn more about David Fox and his photography visithis website at www.davidlfox.com or call him(231) 947-6899. For additional information on Bubba‘s visitwww.flintfood.com or call (231) 929-9885.